Trae Patton/NBC The debate and the reports rage on: Will Steve Carell be returning as Michael Scott for The Office series finale?
We won't know for sure until the series finale on Thursday, May 16, but we do have something that will cheer up those who have missed Carell since he departed the series in season seven.
A couple weeks ago, the cast of The Office hit Scranton, Pa., to have a farewell party for the city that they fictionally called home for nine seasons.
John Krasinski, Jenna Fisher, Ellen Kemper and the rest of the cast were there to relive the best memories and talk to thousands and thousands of fans of the show. And who crashed the party with a surprise visit? None other than Carell.
We have exclusive footage of Carell's goodbye to Scranton and to The Office, which was filmed for the NBC News special airing before the series finale. In it, Carell fields questions about the fate of Michael and Holly (Amy Ryan) and talks about scenes that he could barely get through without laughing.
Just try not to smile when you see how happy Carell is when he appears before the crowd of fans.
The Office's final episode airs this Thursday on NBC.
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)